a call for help.

it is never my intention to use this blog as a platform for pregnancy-related complaints. i have seen some of the women in my life battle with infertility and multiple miscarriages. trust me, i know how blessed i am. i am grateful EVERY SINGLE DAY for my ability to conceive, grow and sustain sylvie.

that said, i don’t know how much longer i can deal with this rib pain. it is severe and lasts all day, everyday. i can barely move and often have to leave work or social gatherings (like our friend’s cookout tonight) early. sometimes i just crumple up and cry because it hurts so badly and everyday it gets worse. does anyone who reads this have any suggestions for natural remedies to help with the pain? the only thing that works even a little is an ice pack, but i can’t walk around with ice on my ribs 24/7. PLEASE. tell me what worked/works for you! if it helps, the pain is a very hot burning under both of my breasts. if i bend over or move certain ways it becomes a severely sharp stabbing on top of that. anyone? i would appreciate any wisdom or advice you can offer. thank you!

rib pain aside, we had a lovely 4th. the cookout was a lot of fun. our friend’s wife is also pregnant (due 3 weeks after me) and our other friends have a 6 month old son. we had a great time talking about mommy issues and drinking tea. i’m excited to start our stay-at-home-moms/wives of painters club. i feel very lucky to have these ladies close by. they’ve been a wonderful support system for us. we’ve even talked about starting up a babysitting coop so we can each get a night off every now and then. we’re all in the same boat in terms of dealing with new motherhood with very little money, away from our families. in short, these girls are awesome and i am so thankful to have them!

8 responses to “a call for help.”

So sorry your rib pain is so bad!! So, we are about a week apart, I think I’m a week behind you and we are both carrying pretty high, so I think I know the pain you speak of. Mine alternates sides, but it sounds very similar. I kind of think we are screwed because of the position of the baby, however, I think there is temporary relief. I just got an exercise ball and I’ll sit on it with legs wide and lean forward onto the coffee table and let my tummy fall forward as much as possible. It lets the baby roll away from the diaphragm and ribs and has given me some really nice relief. I did a post about it today in fact. You can also sit up straight on it and get better posture which also helps. I have yet to figure out how to fix it while I’m sleeping..or trying to. UGH! I feel your pain! Good luck!

Mine is bad on both sides, but is worse on the right. I don’t have an exercise ball, but I may need to look into getting one! Sitting in the glider helps because the back is straighter and stiffer than the couch. Sitting as straight up as possible provides some relief, but not much. I’m hoping that once the baby drops sometime next month it’ll get better. ::FINGERS CROSSED::

As far as sleeping goes, the only thing that helps then is to wedge an ice pack up under my boobs. I find that the cold and little bit of pressure help a lot. The downside of this is that I wake up shivering an hour later! I’m trying not to take an Tylenol or other meds, but some nights I’ll take a half of a Unisom. It’s perfectly safe during pregnancy and helps me sleep a little bit better.

I’m sorry you’re experiencing this pain, too! High baby+short torso=NO GOOD. I hope it gets better for the both of us! Cheers and good luck with the remainder of your pregnancy!

My rib pain is the same, it’s terrible! The only relief I get is laying on my back so that I stretch out my torso to get a little room..But honestly it’s nothing compared to my hip pain now, which at 36 weeks I guess my hips have decided to open up and get ready for this lil melon to pop out. I hope your hips don’t give out on you too, but I just keep thinking about how neat it is to feel your body go through all of these changes to get ready to give birth..I’v never felt so much like a woman, haha!

Does your midwife have you do some back stretches? The particular one I’m thinking of is called a bunch of different names..cat stretch…up and downs etc. You get on all fours and alternately arch and scoop your back? I didn’t have much issue with rib pain because I carried LP low but this helps lower back pain and being on all fours helps the baby move down and out.

She calls that one the pelvic tilt. I have been doing it because it’s supposed to help with labor. Unfortunately, my “rib pain” is actually nerve pain and there’s not much I can do about it. Lying on the floor with a pillow under the small of my back helps. Other than that and ice I’m still looking for solutions.